Originally Posted by DAYCLONA
Originally Posted by ragtop
Originally Posted by DAYCLONA
Originally Posted by A12
BUT there is one thing on your filter that you posted that is like the O.E. filter and is correct and that is the outer round hole screen and that is the round holes are "beveled" around the edge. Don't know if someone copied or saw that detail but I think that the square mesh inside screen is still the way to tell an O.E. CA332 air filter.



I'll look at the NOS filter I have for comparison...one note regarding the "bevel", you won't see that on early filters, because the "bevel" was the result of prolonged tool wear punching the outer shield mat'l.....that's info straight from the original FRAM engineer that did the leg work making the sixpack and oval elements for Chrysler
Thanks.




I got several 6 pak equipped cars, my challenger I've owned for about 45 yrs, so I was always buying sixpack "stuff" early on, filters being one of the items as they were usually hard to find, even when FRAM production was right in my town and family worked there!....the earliest dealer NOS filter I have I bought in the late 70's, the bevel around the holes is barely present, the holes measure approx .250-.255, and the inside screen is "square" in orientation, I also have some of the over the counter Fram CA332 usually sold by Sears/auto parts stores back in the day that I bought from the late 70's-early 80's that have the outer diamond shaped screen, they also have a "square" screen configuration on the inside as well.... I also have a few of the CA332V that Rick commissioned FRAM to make in the late 90's-early 2000's, those have a more pronounced bevel that measures approx .275-.280, the inside screen is a diamond shaped/orientation however, I also have a few of the current repros (offshore repros) the bevels on the holes vary (I'll assume the same tool degradation occurred as production ramped up) hole diameter is approx .280, interior screen is diamond orientation, although the offshores have gotten better the quality of orange plastisol is always a give-a-way .....

It's hard to judge your filter, as I'm sure there may have been many variables in FRAM's production facilities, whether it was Canadian or US production, but if I was buying what you've presented, I personally would think it's a CA332V stuffed into an old distributor's/warehouse box, that housed a "NOS" filter at on time.....there's guys that "collect/buy" old/NOS empty boxes for a reason...JMO


MikeG
Thank you very much, Mike. That is the best description of CA332 filters that I have ever seen. Thanks again.